Red Wings have had to rely on their goaltender more than ever before, and Jimmy Howard has delivered

Michigan Live | Mar 25

So deep and talented over the past two decades, the Detroit Red Wings haven't needed their goaltender to carry them on many nights.

They knew that wasn't going to be the case this season, not after the personnel they lost.

The Red Wings needed Jimmy Howard to steal some games, and he has been strong for the most part. On Sunday, he wrapped up a fantastic weekend with a 33-save performance in a 2-1 victory over the Anaheim Ducks at the Honda Center.

The Red Wings completed an improbable road sweep of the hottest team in the NHL, as Howard stopped 66-of-68 shots over the weekend to help his club earn four valuable points.

“A lot of people outside this locker room probably thought coming into Anaheim they might take one (of two games),'' Red Wings forward Drew Miller said. “But the mindset in here was we're going to come in and play hard and we want to get wins every single night.''

Detroit (16-11-5), which got first-period goals from Daniel Cleary and Miller, has won four in a row on the road, the past two against a team that had been riding a franchise-record 13-game home winning streak.

And Howard is the main reason.

“He gives us a chance to win every night,'' Miller said. “That's what we need out of our goaltender.''